-->

About ZaSu Pitts

("ZAY-sue")

January 3, 1894 - June 7, 1963

Dramatic (Greed - 1924) and

Comedic (Let's Do Things - 1931) Actress

More of ZaSu's acting credits(1917 - 1963)

They say I was in 500 films, everything but the newsreels.

On my first day at a studio something happened which was destined to change the whole course of my life. I met Frances Marion, who was writing almost all of Mary Pickford's screen stories. After we had talked for a little while she took my hand and led me into the dressing room of "America's sweetheart." I was so awe-struck that I stood before this world-renowned star like a puppet on a slack string.

"Mary, this is ZaSu Pitts," Frances was saying. "Don't you think she would be a perfect casting for the role of Becky opposite you?"

Zasu Pitts and Mary Pickford in "The Little Princess"

In the long silence that followed I was sure they would hear my heart thumping.
Finally Mary smiled and said, "It's the part of a slavey–my best friend in an orphanage. I think you'll be excellent. Now, what did you say your name was?”

"ZaSu Pitts."
"Did you make up the ZaSu?"
"No, Miss Pickford, my mother did. She named me after my two aunts, Eliza and Susan–ZaSu."
"A name people won't forget," Mary said, with a twinkle in her eyes. Though I imagine many will mispronounce it."

– from the book "Candy Hits" by ZaSu Pitts

The Movie Greed

At age 19 she began her film career. Her first starring role was as an ugly duckling who finds true love in 1919's Better Times. Her calculated vagueness and fluttery hand gestures earned Pitts comedy roles from the outset, but director Erich von Stroheim saw dramatic potential in the young actress. He cast her as the grasping, money-mad wife in his masterpiece Greed (1924), and she rose to the occasion with a searing performance.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Even in its mutilated form, Erich von Stroheim's Greed (1924) remains an intense silent masterpiece. Already notorious for his excesses when Goldwyn Pictures signed him in 1922, Stroheim faithfully adapted Frank Norris's naturalistic novel McTeague, shooting the grim story about a couple's avaricious downfall on location in San Francisco and Death Valley, tripling the original budget. Combining documentary realism with symbolic devices, Stroheim composed McTeague in deep-focus long takes, emphasizing expressive relationships between characters and settings through juxtapositions in a single shot. Stroheim was asked to cut his original nine-hour version to a length releasable in two parts; with Stroheim's blessing, it was reduced to four hours. Goldwyn, however, merged with Metro and Louis B. Mayer Productions to form MGM in 1924; Mayer turned McTeague over to his assistant, and Stroheim nemesis, Irving Thalberg for further edits. The hours of excised footage from the re-titled, 140-minute Greed were destroyed. Still, because of Stroheim's visual style, certain sequences, particularly the Death Valley dénouement, remain almost intact, retaining the story's power despite narrative holes. Greed made a profit, but Stroheim's struggles continued for the rest of his directorial career. Lost portions of Greed have since been reconstructed from numerous stills into a 239 minute version.

~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

As Trina in Erich von Stroheim's "Greed"

One looks at ZaSu Pitts and sees pathos, even tragedy, and a wistfulness that craves for something she has never had or hopes to have. Yet she is one of the happiest and most contented women I have ever known. ~ Erich von Stroheim

From Silent Film to Comedic Star

Soon I discovered that whenever I felt blue or discouraged–for there is no clear sailing in any career–I found comfort and forgetfulness while I was in the kitchen candymaking. One day I whipped up enough candy to supply a whole studio while I tried to forget the greatest disappointment I had experienced since my arrival in Hollywood.

For weeks I had been working in All Quiet on the Western Front, and hoping with all my heart that serious role they had given me would further my acting career. While I had done a few comedy scenes in various pictures, Erich von Stroheim's Greed had established me as a potential dramatic actress. Then came the night of the preview of All Quiet on the Western Front, and I was shocked when a silly little comedy, in which I had played some amusing scenes, preceded this tragic war picture.

With Thelma Todd in Let's Do Things"

The audience sat with rapt attention as the latter unfolded until I appeared on the screen. A gale of laughter greeted me. The following day the studio snipped off a piece of my heart when they snipped my entire role out of the picture.

Discouraged, I was packing to go home when Hal Roach sent for me. "ZaSu, you're a natural-born comedienne," he said. "The woods are full of actresses and actors who can emote, but there are few who can make an audience laugh. Now I'm planning to team you with Thelma Todd and hope to do a score of riotous two-reel comedies."

– from the book "Candy Hits" by ZaSu Pitts

Some of the ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd comedies include:

The Pajama Party (1931)
Seal Skins (1932)
Catch As Catch Can (1931)
Show Business (1932)

Unfortunately the ZaSu Pitts/Thelma Todd shorts have been removed from YouTube, but you can still find a lot of things by visiting the YouTube site and putting "ZaSu Pitts" in the search engine including the clip below: "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" starring ZaSu Pitts and W.C. Fields.

"Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch"Excerpt - Part 1

Influence

ZaSu in cartoon form in "Mother Goose Goes To Hollywood"

ZaSu's persona as a comedian made her a favorite for animators to caricature. She was rendered in cartoon form for The Disney Shorts Broken Toys (1935) & Mother Goose Goes To Hollywood (1938) and the Warner Brothers I've Got To Sing A Torch Song (1933) to name a few.

In 1933 voice over artist Mae Questel was asked to create the voice of Olive Oyl in the "Popeye" cartoons. (Questel worked for years with Fleischer Studios and is probably best known as the voice of 'Betty Boop'.) In a 1989 interview for the New York Times, Questel recalled, ''I tried to imitate ZaSu Pitts - you know, 'Oh, dear, I don't know what to do!'''

By comparing the clip above of ZaSu in "Mrs. Wiggs" with this Popeye short ("A Date To Skate" (1938)) you can see the similarities in Questel's caricature.

In the stage production of "The Bat"

ZaSu's unique voice also garnered her work on radio with Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, and Rudy Vallee among others. She appeared on a variety of radio shows as herself and as a recurring character on both the "Fibber McGee & Molly" and "Lum & Abner" series.

In the 40's she made her debut on Broadway in "Ramshackle Inn" - a play written especially for her by George BatsonFurther successful stage plays followed, including "Miss Private Eye," "The Bat", and "The Solid Gold Cadillac."

Gale Storm with ZaSu on "Oh! Susanna"

In the 50's she made numerous television appearances. Some of her guest star appearances included "The Jackie Gleason Show", "Perry Mason", and "Burke's Law".

She is probably best remembered on television for her role on the "The Gale Storm Show" (a.k.a. "Oh! Susanna"). The series took place on a cruise ship with Storm playing the role of the cruise director. As Elvira "Nugie" Nugent the shipboard beautician, ZaSu was used to great effect as a comic foil and sidekick to Storm. This program ran for 143 episodes between 1956 and 1960 and later became a local television station staple, shown countless times in reruns.

In the mid 50's ZaSu was diagnosed with cancer. She continued working and made her final film appearance as Gertie the switchboard operator in the all-star comedy epic It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963).She was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

With grandsons John (left) and Ralf in the kitchen for her book "Candy Hits"

As for herself, she made her own proclamation: "I'm the best babysitter in Hollywood" with her two grandchildren. ~Santa Cruz Sentinel

Links

Internet Movie Database	The Earth's Biggest Movie Database. Bio, Trivia, Photos, and an extensive filmography. Link to info on many of ZaSu's films here including Erich von Stroheim's "Greed".
Wikipedia	The Free Encyclopedia. Bio, Trivia, and Filmography.
GoldenSilents.com	Bio and filmography of the Silent Films ZaSu made
Silent-Movies.com	Large photo collection of ZaSu from the silent film era.
US Postal Museum	Al Hirschfeld's caricature of ZaSu which appeared in the 'Stars of the Silent Screen' stamp series issued by the US Post Office on April 27, 1994
Turner Classic Movies	Put "ZaSu Pitts" into the search engine ('site' search) to view articles, multimedia (movie trailers and a short scene from "Greed") and a schedule of upcoming ZaSu films that will be shown on TCM.
YouTube	Put "ZaSu Pitts" into the search engine to see clips of her in various films.
Turner Classic Movies Forum	A thread on the TCM forum: ZaSu Pitts needs a DVD collection.
Santa Cruz Public Library	Historical Photos and info from the city where ZaSu was raised.
Santa Cruz Sentinel	An archived article about ZaSu with anecdotes from one of her childhood
Feature Films Archive	View and discuss "So's Your Aunt Emma!" a one hour comedy from 1942 starring ZaSu Pitts

Monogram's So's Your Aunt Emma owes whatever success it enjoys to its star, the incomparable ZaSu Pitts. The fluttery ZaSu plays a countrified maiden aunt who comes to the big city when her nephew Roger Pryor gets into trouble with the Law. Seems that Pryor is inextricably involved with gangsters, who fear no one-except a certain notorious murderess. Through complications too humorous to mention, the bad guys become convinced that ZaSu is the killer, allowing her free reign in the underworld until she can clear Pryor's name. So's Your Aunt Emma was released to television as Meet the Mob. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide